


get me nice and cleaned up for you

by highfalutin baby birb (fevered_dreams)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-16 04:52:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16078808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fevered_dreams/pseuds/highfalutin%20baby%20birb
Summary: Keith cuts Shiro's hair. Shiro returns the favor.The whole time, Shiro made sure to keep playing with Keith’s hair when he wasn’t too busy snipping away at it. He even let his hands linger against the base of Keith’s neck before leaning down and mouthing a series of smooth and slow kisses all around.“Watch out. You’ll get pieces of my hair in your mouth,” Keith warned, even though no part of him really wanted Shiro to stop.“I think I’ll live,” Shiro mumbled.





	get me nice and cleaned up for you

**Author's Note:**

> my first sheith story! i hope everyone seems in-character :)

Keith never paid much attention to his hair. Lance always said that that was Keith’s biggest problem - the fact that he let himself go and grow himself a mullet instead of finding a decent barbershop and asking for an acceptable haircut. To Keith, however, his hair was just hair. As long as it didn’t get in his face, it was fine as is. Not to mention, keeping it a bit long also gave such the tiniest hint of insulation during his cold desert nights after getting kicked out of the Garrison.

Besides, Keith always figured his biggest problem was his impulsivity and short-sightedness, but it was nice to know that Lance thought more highly of him than that. At least, Keith thought that was what that meant.

Still, Keith didn’t think that he had ever paid much attention to anyone’s hair. It never seemed all that important to him in the grand scheme of thing.

That was, he hadn’t until Shiro came back with that long, shaggy hair of his, and, for the first time, Keith thought that maybe there was something to a good haircut. Never before had Shiro ever looked so old and harried, and never before had he looked at Keith with such tired eyes. The white of his hair had grown even longer from the roots - a permanent fixture, it seemed.

A permanent reminder.

The sight clenched tight at Keith’s throat with pointed teeth and carefully filed nails, unforgiving, and he choked.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” Keith said when he could almost breathe again. “And maybe give you a nice haircut. I bet it’ll feel nice to get all of that hair out of your face.”

“ _You’re_ gonna give me a haircut?” Shiro asked with a weak chuckle. “I don’t know. Have you ever cut someone’s hair before?”

Keith shrugged. “I’ve trimmed my own hair, a few times. Back when I was camped out in the desert. There weren’t many people around I could ask to help me out, you know?”

“Yeah,” Shiro whispered. “I know.”

“So, I figured if I was able to cut my own hair without accidentally stabbing myself, it should be fine. Unless you’d rather someone else do it?

“’No,” Shiro said with a weak smile. “I want you to do it.”

Keith set about with the one pair of scissors he could find on their side of the castle with careful, only slightly trembling hands. It was easy, in the beginning; all he had to do was snip away large strands of matted hair that fell to the floor in clumps around them. They felt heavier than they should’ve been, and Keith loathed the idea of cleaning them up later.

But the fine details were a bit more difficult to manage. Keith knew what Shiro’s hair had been like before, had run his fingers through them over Shiro’s scalp as they laid together many times. He knew exactly where the lines of Shiro’s hair stopped and how much fluff was on the top. He knew exactly how long Shiro’s white bangs were because he used to always play with them, idly brush through them with his fingers.

And yet, somehow, he just couldn’t get it quite right.

It ended up being a bit too short, but Shiro had just shrugged it off with a smile.

“I think it looks nice,” Shiro said. “It’s a nice change of pace.”

Keith nodded and thought that maybe it was nice. Shiro always looked nice, after all.

And did Shiro look beautiful as they hung off the side of the crumbling castle together, his bangs flowing around him like white flags begging for mercy. Even as he pinned Keith down, murderous rage in his eyes that Keith never dreamed he’d see directed at him, Shiro looked beautiful because those same eyes gleamed with so much lovely decadence, and Keith wanted to be completely soaked in it because it was _Shiro_. The beautiful Shiro that Keith loved so much.

If that was the last thing Keith would ever see, he thought it wasn’t a bad last moment.

But that hadn’t been the end. Shiro had come back with his new white hair that only made him look younger, somehow.

And he still looked just as beautiful as ever.

After that, Keith never had much time to worry about his or anyone else’s hair. His bangs were still short enough that they didn’t get in his eyes at all, and that was enough for him; as long as he could pilot; that was good enough.

Now, though, he was tired of piloting. He was ready for a break, and, as much as he loved the Black Lion and the Red Lion, he didn’t really want to see them any time soon. For now, he didn’t even really want to think about them anymore.

All he wanted to do was lay down in his cute little apartment that Earth had so graciously given him and rest in the nice, big bed that had also been given to him for free to thank him for helping to save the goddamn universe as nothing more than a wearied young man.

“Universe,” Keith whispered to himself quietly, and the word melted bitter on his tongue. “We really saved the universe.”

“We really did, didn’t we?”

Keith didn’t startle up from where he was snuggled up in bed. He simply rolled over and smiled at Shiro from where he stood, leaning against the bedroom door frame. Shiro smiled back before entering the room and sitting down beside Keith. He pressed a light kiss against Keith’s forehead and stayed hunched over long enough for Keith to kiss him back before sitting back up.

“Why are you thinking about that now?” Shiro asked.

Keith shrugged, but, in his current position, it was more like an aborted shuffle. “Just started remembering some stuff, I guess. It’s hard not to sometimes.”

“Yeah, I get that.”

Silence rolled over them as Shiro carded his flesh hand through Keith’s hair. It was warm and nice because Shiro always knew exactly how much pressure to apply and when to let his nails scrape against Keith’s scalp. Sometimes, when Shiro did this, played with Keith’s or even just touched him at all, Keith felt like some lovesick kid with their first crush that they didn’t know how to handle in the slightest besides writing about it in their journal with hearts all around their names.

Other times, he felt like some purring kitten who didn’t have to worry about anything except being loved and pampered.

Right now, Keith felt like a little bit of both. If he could purr and squeal at the same time, he was sure he’d be doing just that. He thought that, after being together for long, he would’ve gotten over the heart-pounding young love phase, but here he was, as embarrassing as ever.

Luckily, Shiro didn’t mind at all.

Shiro played with his hair for some time, letting his fingers move down to play with the hair around Keith’s neck. Keith’s hair was apparently longer than he remembered because now Shiro’s hand had to hover to reach the ends, which was a shame. He couldn’t feel as much of Shiro’s body warmth now, not nearly as much as he liked.

“Hey,” Shiro said suddenly. “Why don’t we cut your hair?”

Somehow, Shiro always knew what Keith was thinking and exactly how to help fix it. He always had, Keith supposed, and Keith supposed that was just one of the many reasons he adored Shiro so, so much.

“Do you know a place we can get an appointment at?” Keith asked. “Or we can probably ask Lance. He’d probably know all about that kinda stuff.”

“Actually, I was thinking I could cut it for you,” Shiro said, fingers now back over Keith’s scalp. “If you want.”

“Have you ever cut anyone’s hair?” Keith asked.

“I figure it can’t be _that_ hard, if you could do it in the middle of space with that odd pair of alien scissors.”

Keith snorted and sat up with a groan. Smiling, Shiro helped him up with a firm hand against his back. His prosthetic, this time, the new one that floated and didn’t give Shiro nightmares.

“Alright then,” Keith said. “Let’s see what you can do. But, if you totally mess it up, you have to pay for the wig I’ll have to wear to hide it.”

“Deal.”

They both shuffled into the small bathroom connected to the bedroom because apparently saving the universe didn’t get you a place with a master bathroom. That was fine, though. They’d made sure to spend enough time together, figuring out how to best fit next to each other inside. Bathrooms could be plenty of fun, after all.

Now, though, Keith watched Shiro pick up a pair of scissors with trepidation. They didn’t have any of those fancy scissors that they had in actual barber shops and salons, so they had to make do with a pair of regular old industrial scissors that they usually used to cut apart boxes. They didn’t even have many brushes, but they did have some rubbing alcohol to disinfect the probably dangerous scissors with.

The pair of scissors Keith had used may have been alien technology, but at least it was way smaller than the pair Shiro had in his hands.

At the same time, Shiro was much more steady than Keith had been. Keith had felt like a wretched impression of a person back when he had cut Shiro’s hair, desperate to get Shiro back to looking the way Keith had always seen him because it was too jarring otherwise.

Shiro, on the other end, was calm and looked happy to cut Keith’s hair. He went slowly, trimming off small edges here and there with the utmost care and the cutest wrinkle in his forehead as he concentrated, and, really, Keith didn’t even care what he looked like anymore. All he wanted to do was watch Shiro work and do something that he actually wanted to do for once, as opposed to something he _had_ to do.

It even felt nice, too. The whole time, Shiro made sure to keep playing with Keith’s hair when he wasn’t too busy snipping away at it. He even let his hands linger against the base of Keith’s neck before leaning down and mouthing a series of smooth and slow kisses all around.

“Watch out. You’ll get pieces of my hair in your mouth,” Keith warned, even though no part of him really wanted Shiro to stop.

“I think I’ll live,” Shiro mumbled back from where his lips hovered over Keith’s skin. He pressed one more kiss to the base of Keith’s neck before pulling away to gently coax Keith’s face to the side. Keith obliged easily and was met with a warm, open-mouthed kiss that had his toes curling in time with the light moan that he couldn’t help but let out right into Shiro’s mouth.

Shiro swallowed it down without complaint, grinning at Keith with promise and delight as he pulled away to get back to cutting Keith’s hair. After that, Keith _really_ couldn’t focus on anything that wasn’t Shiro.

In fact, Keith had been so hyper-focused on Shiro that he hadn’t even realized it was over until Shiro was already stepping back and wiping strands of hair off himself.

“Well?” Shiro asked, meeting Keith’s eyes through the mirror. “What do you think? Should we go wig shopping soon?”

Keith slowly dragged his eyes away from Shiro’s reflection to look at himself in the mirror.

He actually looked pretty good.

It was shorter than Keith was used to, but it looked nice. It made him look younger, having all his hair out of his face so that people could actually see his sharp, thin jawline and light layer of fat that still covered his face.

It also showed off the scar on the side of his face even more. Gingerly, Keith reached a hand up to touch it and feel the way the skin puckered and rose into the scar. From the corner of his eye, Keith could see Shiro frown, and Keith quickly put his hand down.

“I think it’s great,” Keith said. Shiro’s worried expression remained. “Honest. You could make a living out of this.”

Finally, Shiro’s face smoothed as he let out a quick laugh. “Please, I think we both know that being a hairstylist isn’t my calling.”

“You never know. We have plenty of time now for you to try it out, if you want.”

“I’d rather spend that time with you.”

Keith tilted his head back to look at Shiro directly, not through the mirror, and was met with another kiss. This time, it was a bit hungrier, and Keith didn’t mind that at all.

Except, he could still feel loose strands of hair prickling against his skin and down his shirt, and that was just too distracting.

“Sorry,” Keith breathed, pulling away. “Think I gotta shower first and get all this old hair off of me. It’s gonna get everywhere if I don’t.”

Shiro nodded and stepped away, leaving Keith alone in the bathroom. Keith stripped and showered as quickly as he could, but he took a second afterwards to admire himself in the mirror quickly; now that he was all clean, he could see the new haircut better.

He looked a bit like his dad, Keith found, and it was kinda nice. He wondered how Krolia would react, next time she came back to visit Earth to see him again.

Keith wondered how his dad would’ve reacted, if he could see Keith now, if he knew everything that Keith had gone through.

Proud, he hoped. Happy to call Keith his son, Keith hoped.

Quietly, Keith padded into the bedroom and found a Shiro there, book in hand. Shiro had always liked to read, Keith knew, but there just hadn’t been enough time to when they were out in space. Keith was glad that he could now.

Still, Shiro looked up from his book almost immediately at the sound of Keith walking into the room.

“Feel better? Still like it?” Shiro teased.

Keith settled himself down beside Shiro, leaning over him so he could initiate the kiss this time. Shiro was broad and warm underneath the palm of Keith’s hand, and that was all Keith could really ask for.

“I still like it,” Keith replied through the kiss. “When your hair starts getting long again, I’ll cut it, too. And, if you hate it, you could probably get away with just shaving your entire head off, honestly. You’re handsome enough to pull off the shaved look, I think.”

“And you don’t think you are?”

“Me? No way. I don’t have that nice, chiseled jaw that you do, you know. I’d look so asymmetrical, with my big head and skinny little chin.”

Shiro laughed and wrapped a loose arm around Keith’s hips. “You’re ridiculous. I think you’d look good no matter what.”

“That’s just because you love me.”

Shiro shifted so his face was half-buried in Keith’s lap. “Yeah. I really do love you.”

Keith smiled, and his brain did that infuriating kitten, young crush thing again. “I know. I love you too, Shiro.”

“Then come here and lay down with me for awhile,” Shiro said, pulling Keith down with him. “I’ve had quite the busy day, and I’m ready to cuddle and sleep.”

“Busy talking to the ambassadors?” Keith asked. He slipped under the covers beside Shiro and slid his legs in-between Shiro’s.

“Yeah,” Shiro said, and there was that poor yawn of his. “Trying to keep the peace is hard work. Almost as hard as getting it in the first place.”

“I bet. I can’t believe you let them rope you into this.”

Shiro shrugged. “I couldn’t imagine not doing it, honestly.”

Keith scoffed, but he was so comfortable and warm that it was hardly anything. “If you say so.”

Shiro hummed in response, and, suddenly, Keith was waking up. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but the room as dark Shiro was still curled around him so sweetly, though, face smooth and in deep sleep, and Keith didn’t have the heart to check for the time if it possibly meant waking Shiro up.

So he settled for running his own fingers through Shiro’s hair. It was still fairly short and clean now, but Keith couldn’t wait until it was his turn to get it again. Next time, it would be nicer.

“You know,” Keith whispered, brushing a stray lock away from Shiro’s beautiful, beautiful face. “I really, really love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> please let me know what you think!
> 
> if you want to talk to me or want to know more about how you can support me, you can find me on [tumblr](https://fever-d-dreams.tumblr.com)


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